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Introduction to Exchange 2003 Server - Message Tracking Center
If you need to find a message, or check the status of an email, then configure the Message Tracking Center.
One pleasant side effect of message tracking, is that you learn how Exchange 2003 server handles queues and categorizes messages. Topics for Exchange 2003 - Message Tracking Center
 The key
point with message tracking is a that you are looking at a two stage process, set tracking at the server Icon, and view the resulting logs at the Message Tracking Center.
Each Exchange 2003 server has its own message tracking log. However, to save space and processor power, tracking is turned off
by default. So to enable message tracking, launch your Exchange
System Manager and navigate to the appropriate server icon. Right click properties, and find the check box on the general tab called - Enable message tracking. If you study the picture opposite, you may guess the reason that I opened this property sheet was so I could check: Enable
subject logging and display. I had decided that I needed that extra
troubleshooting information, so I was about to click, Enable subject logging and display when I took the screen shot.
Another point to note is the log file directory. This reminds us that Exchange writes events to a folder called \exchsrvr log and not to the application log. I will leave the decision to you, whether or
not to remove old logs and save disk space. Incidentally, if you have more than one server, then Exchange will create a log file for each server that you monitor from this particular Exchange System
Manager, for example, Paris.log, London.log.
 Exchange Server 2007 is a complex topic, do you need practical hands on training? As an MCT trainer, I can thoroughly recommend
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To see the Message Tracking Center interface, expand the Tools folder (in the Exchange System Manager) and then observer the Microsoft interface in the right hand pane.
 Once you have enabled logging, then you can use the Message Tracking Center to analyze
how the messages were handled. If the email is not getting through then message history will help you discover if they are stuck in a queue.
As tools go, the Message Tracking Center is easy to use and intuitive. The only tricky part is remembering to add the server name, thereafter finding messages is straightforward. What I do is
adjust the dates and get a list of all email that passed through this server. Where necessary, I then filter on Sender and, or Recipients.
I love Microsoft tools that combine troubleshooting with learning about the underlying mechanisms. In addition to searching for missing email, the Message Tracking Center will also show you how the
ESE (Extensible Storage Engine) processes email. For example, the theory mentions a Categorizer which sorts messages. Well, if you double click a message and examine the Message History you see
the Events that handled each email - including the role played by the Categorizer.
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If there is a darker side to the Message Tracking Center, then it's the ethical consideration of looking at other people's email. I feel it my duty to point out that as administrator, you can see any user's email.
Incidentally, Archiving or Journaling is
another place where administrator's can read other users email. Realistically, all I can do is explain where and how these features work, and leave it up to you, and your managers, to decide what use you
should make of
the Message Tracking Center.
Message tracking is easy to setup and a worthy addition to your troubleshooting toolkit. Launch the Exchange System Manager, and navigate first to the server icon, then to the tools folder - there
you will see the Message Tracking Center. Remember, you must enable logging at each server before you can actually see any messages.
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See Also
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